310 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : 24 cm

"From the author of The Miracle & Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets and The Borden Murders comes the absorbing and compulsively readable story of Violet and Daisy Hilton, conjoined twins who were the sensation of the US sideshow circuits in the 1920s and 1930s."--

Violet and Daisy were as alike as two flower buds on a single stem. They were also joined, back-to-back, at the base of their spine. In 1908 they were called freaks, monsters. Their mother abandoned Violet and Daisy to the care of her midwife, who immediately put the babies on exhibition in the back room of her pub, embarking on a course of blatant exploitation. They eventually became the most phenomenal success in vaudeville's history. Miller shows that Violet and Daisy were more than just an exhibit: they were two distinct individuals with remarkably harmonious personalities. Above all, they were sisters, whose bonds were so sacred that nothing-- not even death-- would break them. -- adapted from jacket

Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-300) and index

Lexile by Metametrics

Part one -- Part two

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